


Demons by Imagine Dragons - Analysis of Song Lyrics as a Character Study of Dean Winchester

by TheGreenestGreenToEverGreen



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Character Study, Dark Thoughts, Dean Winchester - Freeform, Demons, Depression, Essay, Fan Vid, Gen, Meta Analysis, Michael!Dean, Psychological Themes, Religious Themes, Song Lyrics, TFW2.0, brotherly bond, imagine dragons, seasons 1 through 14, spoilers for current episodes of season 14 if you are not up to date, wincest (Soulmates) if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 16:05:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17769935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreenestGreenToEverGreen/pseuds/TheGreenestGreenToEverGreen
Summary: Essay analysis of the religious and psychological themes of the song Demons by Imagine Dragons as applied to the character Dean Winchester - especially dealing with moments of despair from the start of canon through to current events in Season 14.





	Demons by Imagine Dragons - Analysis of Song Lyrics as a Character Study of Dean Winchester

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ameliacareful](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ameliacareful/gifts).



> A/N - I am not a psychologist and although raised christian I am not religious - I make no statement on the ‘truth’ of any observations. As a fan of the recurring themes contained in the show Supernatural I am however fascinated by both subjects. This essay is my interpretation as a lay person and is designed for purely entertainment and to provoke discussion, not as a diagnostic work or authority on any subjects contained.
> 
> \- I made a fan video concerning Dean saying yes to Michael at the end of Season 13 and the effect it had on all of Team Free Will 2.0 - the song I chose was Demons by Imagine Dragons and it was aptly suited to the religious and psychological themes of the video. (I will include a copy of the video at the end for reference.) However the more I thought about the song the more it came to express much of Dean’s angst for me.
> 
> \- This essay assumes general knowledge of the character Dean Winchester up to and including season 14.  
> This could be thought of as wincest (if you squint) owing to the abiding nature of the brothers deep bond. However it contains no mention of anything not platonic, other than one canon quote by zachariah. 
> 
> -The song lyrics deal with some weighty issues. It is not my intention to assume that the issues represented here are the sum total of Dean Winchester’s character. Only that he has displayed an inclination towards them at some points or another. I also take the author of the song lyrics (and by extension Dean Winchester) to be a negatively biased source and therefore not an impartial or reliable witness.
> 
> \- Special thanks to AmeliaCareful   
> who writes some great angst and insightful Sam analysis and who got my grey cells thinking about the interactions between the boys.
> 
> \- Unbeta’d - all mistakes are the product of a chaotic but enthusiastic mind.

NB  - Dan Reynolds, the Imagine Dragons frontman was raised Mormon, ([USAToday.com](https://eu.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2018/06/22/imagine-dragons-dan-reynolds-talks-mormon-faith-lgbtq-doc-believer/722517002/)) and I have assumed that much of the religious imagery in the song is purposeful.

\--o0o--

The first verse of the song sets the tone and lays the background.

 

_/When the days are cold/_

The first line of the song is bleak- instantly conveying the mental state of the protagonist. Cold days imply winter and potential depression syndromes like SAD.

The main characters of supernatural have all shown signs of depression at one point or another, either when dealing with ptsd type symptoms after time in Hell etc or from the death of a loved one, or worn down by the constant struggle of leaping from one life and death situation to the next. Many of their coping mechanisms are unhealthy. Dean especial prefers to mask his feeling rather than deal with them - often using denial and violence combined with alcohol. "You shove it down and you let it come out in spurts of violence and alcoholism." (Spn 6x14) This of course will not resolve the ongoing symptoms of depression and often leaves him in a bleak state.

 

_/And the cards all fold/_

Folding cards is the end of the game. It is either the point where nothing further can be done or you feel you have no other choice then to throw in your hand. The use of a card game here as a metaphor could also imply that life is a gamble and nothing is certain, further adding to a sense of hopelessness at the lack of control. It could also be a metaphor for choosing death as the final option - as opposed to playing on which is life. The line intensifies the low mood that opened with ‘cold days’ and adds to the sense of hopelessness.

Dean is an expert cards player - although apparently not as good as Bobby (Spn 7x5) - and he would not think of cards as gambling rather as a match of skill at reading his opponent. Therefore to reach a point where he has to fold the cards (not as a tactic but as the final call) would seem to him to be a personal failure not just a whim of fate.

 

_/And the saints we see/_

_/Are all made of gold/_

There is strong religious imagery throughout the song. Saints are supposed to be more worthy than others around them. Paragons of virtue and godliness. By well known Catholic dogma they are people to be emulated but they are also available to offer assistance or intercession to god on a person's behalf. ‘Made of gold’ should seem like a good thing in a secular sense but the religious imagery and low mood puts me in mind of the Golden Calf. It is the idol which the Israelites set up as their new god when Moses was gone too long writing the 10 commandments. The biblical moral behind the story is that though the idol looked good and seemed to be a wonderful new god, it was really hollow and meaningless because they had turned away from the real god to worship a powerless lump of pretty metal. Therefore ‘Saints made of gold’ implies that all the paragons of virtue that the protagonist respects and emulates are a lie and are powerless to assist you. Whether or not this is true is unclear but it indicates a very low state of mind.

Dean is hit most hard when the few people he respects and sees as worthy, ‘fail’ him. The complicated relationship with his parents. Mary who he sees as an almost iconic paragon of motherhood while she is dead, but who invokes both love and hated because she created a mess and ‘abandoned’ them. (Spn 12x22) His father who he had a complication relationship with.  He idolized the man (as a hunter, for his clothing, taste in music, choice or car) but in his bitter most thought paints him as an obsessive bastard who wasn't there for Sam and put to much on Dean (Spn 3x10). Chuck - who should be the answer to everything, but is just another deadbeat dad “Well, from where I sit, it feels like you left us and you're trying to justify it.” (Spn 11x21) - All those who he wants to hold up as most worthy, but at his lowest points feels that what they offered was a lie and they were powerless to solve his problems.

 

_/When your dreams all fail/_

Failing dreams is clear, it is the point at which you realize that the things you hoped and longed for are no longer attainable. It is a point of despair when you no longer know what far off goal you are striving towards.

 

_/And the ones we hail/_

_/Are the worst of all/_

_/And the blood’s run stale/_

The rest of the verse returns to religious imagery and continues the feelings of disillusionment. A ‘hail’ was an archaic greeting of respect and reverence - ‘Hail Mary full of grace...’. Those you respect and revere being the worst of all, echoes the sentiments expressed in ‘saints of gold’. The addition of ‘blood run stale’ could be taken in a secular light to imply the loss of passion. Blood being the life giving force that is said to boil or burn when emotions run high. But continuing the strong religious themes of the verse, it could also allude to Holy Communion. The blood of Christ meant to be a covenant between god and a believer signifying redemption and the promise of reward in life eternal. For that covenant to be stale indicates the loss of faith and the loss of hope in salvation. This verse completes the utter sense of hopelessness and the lowest point that the protagonist is feeling.

It is not a state that a character can perpetually remain in, but it is a state that Dean Winchester has visited often. The loss of hopes and dreams, no clear offer of assistance, the loss of faith. Especially after the death of a loved one: Bobby, Kevin, Charlie. But most demonstrate by the loss of Sam or Cas.

 

Now that the verse has set the tone, the bridge expresses the main issues and leads into the core message.

 

_/I want to hide the truth/_

_/I want to shelter you/_

As herd animals it is human nature to wish to solicit the good opinion of ourselves from our peers. To fit in and be accepted, to not be an outcast - this is the way a herd stays cohesive. This evolutionary trait can often lead to a desire to hide aspects of ourselves that we consider negative. But the protagonist moves this past this most basic protection of self and indicates that the desire to hide is to save one they care about - either from being directly harmed by those negative aspects or from being emotionally impacted by them.

The most import thing to Dean is family- “Don't you dare think that there is anything, past or present, that I would put in front of you!” (Spn 8x23) the boys often alter their behavior to those which they think will best protect the other, even when that is not a healthy option. Dean has several times lied or hidden the truth from Sam in a bid to protect him: from not telling Sam that John had said he might have to kill him (only revealed in Spn 2x10, what John told Dean in 2x01) - to tricking Sam into saying yes to Gadreel and keeping the possession a secret (Spn 9x01).

 

_/But with the beast inside/_

_/There’s nowhere we can hide/_

The beast inside in secular terms likely refers to the animal nature of humans, those base impulses often assumed to be negative and not controlled by higher rational thought - eg primal. While giving into these impulses is considered to be less then evolved, it is assumed that these are instincts which all humans share and so to some degree can be empathized with. However due to the strong religious themes of the song, i also wonder if this is a reference to more distinct evil. The Beast, being a name from the book of Revelations for the devil. If ‘but with the beast inside’ alludes to a more sinister core of evil, such as in Possession, then the outlook and issues faced by the protagonist are far more impactful. This is an evil not commonly expected to be found within mankind and is therefore so much harder to fight. In either case there is nowhere to hide, because the problem is intrinsic to their being and you cannot hide from yourself.

A recurring theme on the show is that possession often requires outside assistance to be successfully treated. Even those few individuals strong enough to break the hold of the possession for a moment (Bobby possessed by Meg Spn 5x5, or Sam by Lucifer 5x22) require a strong emotional connection to an outside source or person to do so, and certainly in the case of demon possession still require an exorcism or imminent threat to the demon. Add to this the fact that a person suffering a poor emotional state becomes an easier target for a demon (Spn 1x04) - and this becomes one large metaphor for depression; not easily fought alone, able to control and alter one's normal behavior, destructive and more susceptible to those already in a wounded mental state.

However on the direct subject of possession; Although Dean has been a black eyed demon himself he has rarely been possessed. He has been influenced by external forces (the rage doctor in Asylum Spn 1x10 and the Siren in 4x14) but other then the Khan worm (Spn 10x14) and the Soul Eater (Spn 11x16) the first time he is properly possessed is Michael (Spn 13x23). Dean has been a vampire, and influenced by the mark of Cain and a Knight of Hell, but in each case his actions are driven by some twisted version of himself rather than an external force. Potentially a meta commentary on his own poor self esteem. He feels he is the monster. {Where as other then when under the influence of demon blood, many of Sam’s ‘worst’ actions have been attributable to forces external himself: Meg Spn 2x14, Lucifer 5x22, being soulless season 6, Gadreel season 9 - possibly a reason why even when bitter about what he perceives as Sam’s past mistakes, Dean still most often considers that of the two of them Sam is the one most worth saving.}

 

_/No matter what we breed/_

_/We still are made of greed/_

There are two ways to look at the line ‘what we breed’ - the first could apply to the human race and procreation. No matter what your breeding (station or social background) we all are susceptible. Or it could apply to the actions we breed. No matter what good works we try to engineer and generate we are all susceptible. Either way it emphasizes that no one is exempt. Consequence is inevitable. It echoes the hopelessness. ‘We still are made of Greed.’ Greed is one of the 7 deadly sins. Like Lust and Gluttony it is born of desire and self-fulfillment over the needs of others. But it is also a sin of blasphemy because it places the acquisition of some other substance over a desire for the divine. It is an echo of the Golden Calf, the desire for an meaningless trinket in place of a connection of worth. These lines are a statement of despair. No matter who you are or what you do, your selfishness will always replace the external good that you really wish to connect to.

“Come on man, can’t you see, I’m poison. People get close to me they get killed, or worse. I tell myself I help more people than I hurt and I tell myself that I’m doing it all for the right reasons and I believe that. But I can’t -- I won’t drag anyone anybody into the muck with me - not anymore.” (Spn 9x10)

 

_/This is my kingdom come/_

_/This is my kingdom come/_

This line twists and perverts the Lord's Prayer. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.” The closing line of the prayer is a wish for Heaven on Earth, for the eternal reward of paradise after the judgement day. It is a wish for some all powerful being to assume control ( _Thy_ kingdom, _Thy_ will) and for the troubles of Earth (and life) to be no more. “This is _my_ kingdom come” places the protagonist in the place of the all powerful being. (Faith in a magic fix has been lost, there is only isolation and despair and no one to turn to but themselves.) ‘My kingdom’ also implies that it is not Heaven. It is not paradise or perfection. The protagonist has already admitted to being flawed and filled with things others need shelter from. Therefore the assumption can be made that this kingdom is also flawed. That the line is repeated twice adds weight almost as if the protagonist is resigned to this less than desirable outcome.

It is when Dean Winchester feels most lost that he is most dangerous. He will take matters into his own hands because he knows that no one is coming to save him. He does not think that the consequences will be good, but this is the course of action he feels forced into and he will see it though - they will just have to deal with the consequences later. (selling his soul for Sam Spn 2x22, taking the Mark of Cain 9x11, saying yes to Michael 13x23) - he is resigned and desperate but not necessarily hopeful of a good outcome. (‘My kingdom’ will have to do since there is nothing else.)

 

The song moves into the main section of the chorus. The chorus is the key message most meant to be understood by the listener. It is repeated for emphasis. It deals with the protagonists concern for The Other.

 

_/When you feel my heat/_

_/Look into my eyes/_

_/It’s where my demons hide/_

_/It’s where my demons hide/_

‘When you feel my heat’ possibly a reference to anger or the danger of being burnt by their actions. ‘Look into my eyes / its where my demons hide.’ Eyes are the windows to the soul. The eyes will give warning to the other and that warning will hopefully prevent any harm from coming to them

In the show, demons are represented with black (or other colored) eyes, Angels’ eyes glow when they use their power and many monsters show a tell in the eyes (the flash of silver in a shape-shifter or the elongated pupils in a Kitsune) - this is because as windows to the soul, eyes are a week point in an otherwise human mask where a creatures true nature can leak through.

And despite the masks he presents to the outside world, Dean's eyes are also his weak point. They betray his overwhelming pain even when his face remains a mask. At his lowest points Dean isn't able to lie to himself he feels the magnitude of the darkness inside himself. “How I feel... This... inside me... I wish I couldn't feel anything, Sammy. I wish I couldn't feel a damn thing.” (Spn 4x10)

_/Don’t get too close/_

_/It’s dark inside/_

_/It’s where my demons hide/_

_/It’s where my demons hide/_

The narrative of the song remains bleak, isolated and low in self esteem, but once again we see the desire to protect the other from their failings. “Don't get too close” - the other is obviously important to the protagonist, certainly more important than they consider themselves. Creating distance to avoid contagion or accidental harm.  Though they feel pain and despair concerning the demons they carry, but they are not weeping about the unfairness of the situation, they are almost resigned to their own fate. However all the hopes and requests within the song aren't for themselves, they are on behalf of the other. “I want to shelter you”, “Don't get too close.” This person who is apparently convinced of their own monstrous nature, has only thought for the safety of the other.

Dean tells Sam: “...you see a way out. You see a light at the end of this ugly-ass tunnel. I don't. But I tell you what I do know -- it's that I'm gonna die with a gun in my hand. 'Cause that's what I have waiting for me -- that's all I have waiting for me. I want you to get out. I want you to have a life -- become a Man of Letters, whatever. You, with a wife and kids and -- and -- and grandkids, living till you're fat and bald and chugging Viagra -- that is my perfect ending, and it's the only one that I'm gonna get.” (Spn 8x14)  ‘Don't get too close’ is the overriding theme of his concern for the other. If Dean needs to push Sam away to ensure his own safety then he will actively push him away too.

 

The second verse returns to expanding magnitude of the circumstance

 

_/When the curtain’s call/_

_/Is the last of all/_

_/When the lights fade out/_

_/All the sinners crawl/_

‘A last curtain call and when the lights fade out’ speaks of death. (And now, the end is near, And so I face the final curtain - Frank Sinatra) - but it also speaks of lies and pretense. In the lights of the stage, with the costumes and makeup, any story can be played out for the crowd. However when the lights fade out and the curtain closes, the Play is revealed to have been a shame, pretense. It doesn't matter how much you faked it in life, a reckoning is coming.  ‘All the sinners crawl’ - find themselves made low, or on their knees. The verse is fatalistic, it says that the charade must come to an end and then all the ones who have done wrong will get their punishment. It is interesting because the protagonist has already lost their faith in divine reward or assistance but divine retribution is still a certain outcome.

The demon that Dean dreamed he would become most clearly stated his unvoiced fears. “You can't escape me, Dean. You're gonna die. And this? This is what you're gonna become!” (Spn 3x10) Despite all the good that he has done, Dean often sees himself as doomed to damnation for his mistakes.  “ … once you touch that darkness... It never goes away. Now, the truth is... **I'm past saving**. I know how my story ends. It's at the edge of a blade or the barrel of a gun.” (Spn 10x7)

 

_/So they dug your grave/_

_/And the masquerade/_

_/Will come calling out/_

_/At the mess you made/_

A reiteration of the same theme from the previous four lines. Once you are dead (and your grave is dug), the masquerade will become clear and everyone will see the mess you made (all your faults and mistakes) - the repetition of the self recrimination and the inevitable reckoning adds weight to how certain the protagonist is of this.

 

But the bridge into the chorus turns away from self reflection and leads back to the core message which is The Other.

 

_/Don’t want to let you down/_

_/But I am hell bound/_

‘Don't want to let you down but I am hell bound’ can be taken two ways: either that the protagonist will do everything in their power to protect the other until their incarceration into hell forces them to stop, or that although their greatest desire is to live up to the expectations of the other, because of the corruption in their hell-worthy soul, they are unable to. Either way they are worried about failing the other.

_/Though this is all for you/_

_/Don’t want to hide the truth/_

Even lacking faith in divine assistance or in worthy role models or in themselves, the protagonist still has faith in the other. Despite pushing them away, and trying to shelter them, they finally admit that they don't want to keep the truth from them any longer that that they are their entire motivation.

Sam and Dean's relationship is messed up. “... you know you can't trust them, right? You know Sam and Dean Winchester are psychotically, irrationally, erotically codependent on each other, right?” (Spn 5x18) while Zachariah is a less then impartial observer the sentiment of unhealthy codependency has been echoed often by others throughout the series even included the boys themselves. “...maybe we are each other's Achilles heel. Maybe they'll find a way to use us against each other, I don't know. I just know we're all we've got.”  (Spn 5x4). Despite lying to each other, pushing each other away, hurting each other, making assumptions on each others behalf for ‘their own good’, physically assaulting one another and even causing the death of other loved ones (Dean killing Amy in Spn 7x3, Dean bitterly blaming Sam for his role in Charlie getting killed Spn 10x22) - they still cannot give up faith in one another. They are always each others loadstone. “[Sam]... you’re telling me that I have to just throw away everything we stand for, throw away faith, throw away family. We’re the guys who saved the world. We don’t just check out of it!....I believe in us, Dean....Why don’t you believe in us, too? - [Dean] Okay, Sam. Let’s go home… I do believe in us. ” (Spn 14x12)

 

 

However at this point the Chorus returns to reiterate the imperfect kingdom and the need for the protagonist to shelter the other - indicating that perhaps even this faith isn't enough to save the day.

It is a constant clash of opposing emotions, constantly fluttering back and forth.

 

Yet the final verse offers a tiny glimmer of hope mixed in with the fatalistic resignation.

 

_/They say it's what you make/_

_/I say it's up to fate/_

_/It's woven in my soul/_

_/I need to let you go/_

The question is Free Will versus Destiny. Do we have the ability to direct our own fate? Here at their lowest point the protagonist feels that nothing they can do can change the outcome. The only thing they still have control over is saving The Other.

Dean is all about Free Will. It is one of his core precepts. “Team Free Will. One ex-blood junkie, one dropout with six bucks to his name, and Mr. Comatose over there.” (Spn 5x13) It was used to epitomize his refusal to bow to the pre-ordained plans for the apocalypse with the brothers as vessels. It comes to stand for their refusal to be bound by Fate and rules like the Natural Order. "We make our own future." (Spn 5x04)

He has to be at his lowest possible point to abandon that core belief.  “[Dean] Billie… She paid me a little visit. She said that there’s only one way this ends right. And this is it. This, right here, this box. So, she gave up the special recipe, and all I had to do was the work. It’s fate. [Sam] Since when do we believe in fate? [Dean] Now Sam. Since now.” (Spn 14x11)  And once he has given into fate he again feels the drive to let Sam go. “...Sam, you’re the last person I could tell, the last person I could be around, ‘cause you’re the only one that could’ve talked me out of it.” It is one of the lowest points he can reach. But then comes the hope.

 

_/Your eyes, they shine so bright/_

_/I want to save their light/_

Eyes have been established as the windows to the soul. Where as the protagonist is convinced their own eyes show only darkness, all they can see in the other is light. The pure soul that must be saved and protected at all costs.

  

 

_/I can't escape this now/_

_/Unless you show me how/_

The final line is a contradiction. ‘I can't escape this now’ is a resolute statement of fact and defeat. However the addition of the word ‘unless’ changes it from certain doom to uncertainty. “Unless you show me how”. The protagonist has no faith in the divine, or other people, or hope in general; they are convinced that their fate is set in stone...except that the pure light of the other, whom they have been desperately pushing away to protect, might in fact be the key to their salvation.

“[Sam] We’ll find another way. We can still stop all this, Dean. [Dean] How? [Sam] I don’t know, but we’ll find it. You and me, we’ll find it.” (Spn 5x16)

 

 

 

 

The final refrain is the repeat of the chorus with demons and darkness. The chance of salvation expressed in the final verse is not a solution or definite path to salvation. The question is not answered and is followed by a reiteration of how dire the circumstances are. However the mere fact that the question is asked shows that some small hope does exist. And hope can be a very powerful tool.

“[Sam] It doesn't really matter, Dean. Hope's kind of the whole point.” (Spn 2x16)

 

If this song isn't a character study of Dean Winchester I don't know what is.

 

\--o0o--

 

My fan vid: Angel Demons.

The themes in the video are slightly less Sam & Dean-centric, and more TFW2.0 based but it was making this video that got me thinking about the song. I use an abridged version of Demons and I mix it with refrains from Carry On Wayward Son the musical version (because that song also covers very similar themes.)

 

If you wish to hear the original version of Demons by Imagine Dragons, you can find it in the link below:

[Demons by Imagine Dragons on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFQYaoiIFh8)

 


End file.
